


your hands (guided me home)

by thesorrowoflizards



Series: drabbles i guess? [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst with a Happy Ending, Based on a Tumblr Post, Human!Alec, M/M, Quick oneshot, Werewolf!Magnus, i wrote all of this in an hour in the middle of the night, lots of historical inaccuracies, not really edited but i'll probably just edit it tomorrow or something, not set in canonverse, seriously dont even try to read into that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-12-31 03:39:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12123738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesorrowoflizards/pseuds/thesorrowoflizards
Summary: If someone who truly loves and trusts a werewolf, they can call them by name, and bring them home.





	your hands (guided me home)

**Author's Note:**

> [based on this post](https://thesorrowoflizards.tumblr.com/post/165459033566/deleriousfromcoffee-the-golden-ghost)

 

 

Magnus had been missing for weeks.

He’d lost control during the blue moon, almost a month ago, and he hadn’t returned since.

There’s been rumors, of course- about a giant black wolf with bright yellow eyes, prowling the woods. Killing livestock, scaring away travelers.

Trade was down in the small town of Idris. The crops were getting worse. It was as if this mysterious wolf had brought a blight with it, a curse.

Alec, of course, knew this wasn’t the case.

The wolf was no otherworldly demon, no matter what the villagers whispered.

The wolf was Magnus, his beloved. And Magnus would never hurt anyone- he was a kind and gentle soul, not a vicious monster.

But he was also out of control.

Every night, every _single night,_ Alec would go out and search for him. Calling for him. Hoping. Searching.

Every night, people would whisper he was crazy- the mayor’s eldest son, convinced he could take on the might beast ravaging their home. They thought he was foolish, hungry for blood and glory, eager to prove himself. They couldn’t be more wrong.

Every night, his family would tell him not to go. They knew the truth, of course- but they didn’t _believe._

 _You’re going to get yourself killed,_ Isabelle would whisper.

 _Alec, I’m worried about you!_ Jace would yell.

They kept telling him it was too late. That Magnus was too far gone, that they had to put him down.

But Alec refused to believe that.

He trusted Magnus. He loved him. And Alec knew that if he tried, he could save Magnus.

Every night, he searched anyway.

Every night, he had failed.

He was relying on an old legend- an old wives’ tale that a wise woman in the next village had told to him.

 _Even the wildest of beasts can be soothed,_ she’d claimed. _If you but trust them, and love them with all your heart. Call his name, boy, and he will return to you. Call his name, and he will come home._

Magnus hadn’t returned to him yet.

 

This morning, Isabelle and Jace had tried to keep him in the house, tried to lock him up in his room. He’d already escaped, slipping out the once-bolted window with a lantern and his emerald green cloak wrapped securely around him.

It swept against the sill as he climbed out the window and slipped into the night.

He was alone, creeping along the worn path. He’d venture off it soon, once he reached the fork in the road.

“Magnus,” he called out, voice echoing in the eerily quiet woods. “Magnus?”

No answer but the gentle rustle of leaves and the echo of his own voice.

He held the lantern aloft, the flickering yellow light spilling onto the path ahead. His breath misted the cold air, the dark clouding the corners of his vision, blending together the trees and the leaves. His breath misted in the cold air.

Then… there was a howl in the distance, low and haunting. Alec’s breath caught. His heart skipped a beat. _Magnus._

“Magnus!” he shouted.

There was a rustle in the trees behind him. Alec whirled in time to see a wolf emerge- but not Magnus. It was gray, green eyes piercing and bright. It snarled, creeping closer.

Alec stumbled back, waving the lantern in front of him in some desperate attempt to ward it off.

“M- _Magnus_!” he shouted again, voice cracking slightly.

The wolf advanced, lips curled back.

There was a howl. Closer, this time.

And then, a wolf burst from the undergrowth, much bigger than the gray one in front of Alec. It growled loudly, something dangerous reverberating through the air.

The other wolf’s ears twitched and it whined, turning tail and fleeing through the trees.

Alec turned.

The second wolf stood tall and proud across the clearing, still snarling angrily. Its yellow eyes were bright like gemstones, black fur gnarled and matted.

“Magnus,” Alec breathed. _Finally._ Alec had found him.

The wolf growled as he stepped closer, and Alec paused.

Magnus’s eyes were wild and unfocused, still animalistic and seemingly blank of recognition.

Alec held out a hand. “Magnus,” he said gently, voice carried by the soft breeze. “Magnus, please… come home.”

The wolf glanced uncertainly at his hand, creeping forward. His head was low as if he was expecting an attack. But still he approached, cautious and steady.

His yellow eyes were bright but softer, less angry and confused.

Alec stepped closer extremely slowly, and the wolf, amazingly, did not back away. Instead he crept forward, baring his fangs. Flecks of dried blood- probably animal- dirtied his snout.

Alec refused to flinch. Magnus wouldn’t hurt him, even like this.

The wolf- _Magnus-_ nuzzled into his hand. Alec finally stopped holding his breath, a smile slipping across his lips.

Then the wolf stumbled, crumpling to the ground. His fur twisted and his bones cracked as he let out a whine of pain.

His paw reached out, and it was twisting and elongating, the fur shrinking away and then it was a _hand,_ human and trembling and reaching for Alec’s.

Magnus let out another pained whimper, this one sounding much more _human,_ and their hands clasped together.

The wolf had completely morphed into a trembling, naked human being. He was smudged with dirt and skinnier than he used to be, his honey-brown skin pale and drained-looking.

It was Magnus. He was hurt and vulnerable and weak, but he was _Magnus_ again.

Alec gently pulled Magnus to his feet and into his arms, hugging him close and pressing a kiss to his forehead. Magnus clutched at him, drinking in the warm contact and shivering in his arms. With no fur to protect him, he was exposed to the elements.

Alec pulled away for a moment to swing off his cloak, draping it over Magnus’s broad shoulders to shield him, wrapping it around his body soundly.

Magnus gave him a wide-eyed look, brown eyes relieved but scared. He took a step forward, legs shaking, and then his knees almost immediately buckled.

Alec caught him with ease. “Whoa there,” he said softly, supporting his body. “I got you. I got you, sweetheart.”

Magnus buried his face in Alec’s neck, still quiet.

He was still shaking, too, weak from the extensive transformation. He could hardly stand, let alone walk or speak.

“Do you want me to carry you?” Alec asked, voice gentle and kind. Magnus nodded against his neck, clinging to him.

Alec scooped him up, bridal style. He was still wrapped in the slightly oversized, green cloak, his body warm and pliant in Alec’s arms.

 

Halfway down the forest path, under the light of the half moon, Magnus finally broke. His shoulders shook painfully as he sobbed silently into Alec’s neck, crying softly.

He’d been trapped and hurt and confused and he didn’t know who’d he’d hurt, what he’d done, didn’t know who knew what he was. If Alec knew he was a monster, then who else?

But Alec gently shushed him, softly reassuring him that everything was okay, he was safe, no one was hurt.

Magnus isn’t sure what to believe, but even if he could find the words, he couldn’t speak them. Not now, with his throat raw and scraped and his lips dry and cracked.

So instead, he just relaxed, letting himself believe- if only for now- that it was all okay. Alec would protect him.

 

When Alec returned to the village, gently carrying a cloth-bound form, no one knew what to think.

He’d emerged, silent, from the trees, a dark figure huddled in his arms. Slender legs draped over his elbows, the rest of the man’s body swallowed by a green cloak.

“I took care of the wolf,” Alec said solemnly, and then he walked into his house without another word.

 

“You did it,” Jace said, shaking his head in disbelief. “You actually did it.”

Alec gently lay Magnus down on the bed, tucking the cloak over him like a blanket. He’d fallen asleep by the time they’d reached the outskirts of Idris, and he was still asleep, peaceful and quiet.

“I told you I would,” Alec said, not taking his eyes off of his beloved’s face. He leant down, brushing the other man’s limp hair from his forehead and placing a kiss there. “I love him.”

“Are you sure?” Jace asked seriously. “He’s a werewolf, Alec. That’s not an ordinary problem. The guy turns into a murderous forest monster every month. He could kill you.”

“He won’t,” Alec said firmly. “Ever.”

Isabelle came in with a steaming cup of tea, setting it on Magnus’s bedside table.

“This is a special herbal tea that’s supposed to help with…strenuous exercise,” she said happily. “I figured it applied. I collected the ingredients myself.”

Alec and Jace shared a grimace at the tea, which smelled like burnt leaves and scat. “I… Thanks, Izzy,” Alec said.

“So Magnus is going to be okay?” she asked, tone turning serious.

“He’ll be okay. He just needs rest.”

“What do we tell the village?” Jace asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Uh, he was taken by the ‘wolf-demon’,” Izzy suggested. “And Alec went to kill it to get him back.”

“That does sound like Alec.”

“Yeah, sure,” Alec said, distracted. His hand was clasped in Magnus’s, and he looking at Magnus, hypnotized by the even rise and fall of his chest, the slopes of his hips, the way the soft candlelight spilled over his face and created flitting shadows across his cheekbones.

He was beautiful.

And Alec hadn’t seen him in so long.

He hadn’t time to really appreciate it out in the forest, but now…

Isabelle’s voice snapped him out of it. “Alec, you listening?”

“What? Yeah.”

She sighed. “Do you need some time alone?”

“What? No, it’s fine.”

“Dude, it’s totally understandable,” Jace said. “You haven’t seen him in like, a month.”

“He’s your friend, too,” Alec said reluctantly.

“True,” Isabelle said, “But he’s your fiancé.”

“Technically, I never got to propose,” Alec grumbled.

“You know he’ll say yes.”

“Well, until he does, he’s not my betrothed.”

“He basically _is,_ though,” Jace interjected.

“Shut up, Jace.”

Jace rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine. Okay, I’ll get going. I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”

He left, and Isabelle got up to go as well.

She paused by the door.

“Hey, big brother?” she asked quietly.

“Hmm?”

“…How _did_ you do it?”

Alec gave her a look. “I brought him home,” he said simply. “I trusted him.”

Isabelle blinked, slightly puzzled by the non-answer. But if her brother didn’t want to say, she wasn’t going to push.

She smiled. “I’m glad you have each other,” Isabelle admitted quietly. She slipped out the door, closing it gently behind her.

 

Alec sat there for what felt like hours, thumb brushing over Magnus’s knuckles, drawing soft circles over the back of his hand. His eyes watched Magnus’s face tirelessly, waiting for any sign of waking.

And eventually, he got it.

Magnus’s thick, brown lashes fluttered, hand twitching in Alec’s.

“Magnus,” Alec breathed out softly.

Magnus’s eyes opened, slow and sleepy. His head lolled to face Alec, clearly puzzled. But he lit up when he saw him, warm brown eyes blinking up at Alec.

“A-alexander,” he croaked out. His voice was hoarse and quiet, rough with disuse, but he managed anyway. “You found me.”

His voice was full of relief, his expression full of sincerity and love.

Alec grinned, blinking back a few happy tears. He leant down, brushing his lips against Magnus’s forehead. “Of course I did,” he murmured.

Magnus gave a weak chuckle. “Kiss me properly,” he whispered.

Alec’s warm breath brushed his face, one calloused hand coming up to cup his cheek. He kissed Magnus softly, lips gentle against Magnus’s.

“I love you,” Alec said softly as he pulled away, their foreheads resting together.

“I love you, too,” Magnus sighed happily. He patted the bed next to him, holding the cloak aloft as if welcoming Alec in.

Alec smiled- trying to hide his appreciative gaze down Magnus’s body (even pale and bruised and smudged, he was beautiful)- and climbed into bed next to him.

Magnus pulled the cloak over them, but it was too small.

“How about we just use the blankets?” Alec laughed. Magnus let Alec gently unclasp the cloak from around his still bare body, pulling it from around him and discarding it over the side of the bed.

Magnus’s smile didn’t drop, eyes warm and happy as Alec gently tugged the blankets from under him and draped it over the both of them.

Magnus rolled over, scooting back so that his back was pressed against Alec’s chest. Alec wrapped his arms around Magnus’s waist, carefully pulling him closer.

Magnus’s body still ached from the month he’d spent in the wild, but he felt less hurt, less alone, now that he was in his beloved’s arms.

Alec pressed a chaste kiss to the curve of his neck.

They lay like that, curled close together, basking in the warmth of each other’s bodies, in the comfortable silence around them.

One day, hopefully one day soon, Magnus would begin to recover. Maybe he’d have trouble eating, but he’d get the hang of it. Maybe he’d be unable to go to the woods alone, in fear of losing control. Maybe one day he _would_ lose control again.

One day, hopefully one day soon, Alec would work up the nerve to propose again. Maybe (oh, who are we kidding?) Magnus would say yes. Maybe one day they’d get married properly, and have children of their own.

But that was one day. That night, they just lay together, happy to be alive and close.

They were hurt, but healing. Together, and _home._

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> haha i'm trying to get over writer's block yay!! (i swear i'm working on trouble but i've been having trouble sleeping (as evidenced by writing this at midnight) and writer's block is a bitch!!!)
> 
> okay i'll probably write another one at some point wherein i reverse this: alec is the werewolf... and it's more of a humor thing, with the whole "throwing the clothes" thing? because i like exploring the options and shit


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